


Secrets I'll Keep For You

by Spoodlemonkey



Series: Inktober/Goretober [21]
Category: Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: Developing Relationship, Embarrassing Injuries, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 05:10:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16257326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoodlemonkey/pseuds/Spoodlemonkey
Summary: “What the hell happened to your face?”





	Secrets I'll Keep For You

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own...happy fall!

“What the hell happened to your  _ face? _ ”

Cam had been hoping that Ninja Ops would be empty this late in the evening, everyone having headed off to their respective homes, enjoying the rare downtime they have for once. A little time to himself was all he had been hoping for, time to lick his wounds and come up with a plausible story to explain the parts of his appearance that couldn’t be cleaned up overnight. 

But because the universe is as helpful as ever, the entire team is crowded around the common area, blocking Cam’s easy escape. 

And all eyes are on Cam now with Shane’s helpful little outburst. 

“Nothing,” he answers automatically and winces when he realizes how it sounds. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Is your nose broken?” Tori’s by his side in a heartbeat, concerned gaze taking in the swelling and the colourful shades decorating his right eye. Cam’s just glad that his nose stopped bleeding. 

He hesitates a second too long and Tori reaches the right conclusion, eyes going wide. And then she does what everyone seems to do when faced with another person's injury- she tries to  _ touch it _ .

Cam’s never been happier that he’s still faster than the Wind Ninja’s as he ducks out of her reach before she can do something to make the throbbing in his face  _ worse _ .

“What did you do, trip?” 

“No,” Cam rolls his eyes at Blake, a little offended that his mind went there first, and keeps a steady distance from Tori who looks ready to grab a first aid kit and go to town on his face. It hurts enough, thanks. 

“Did you get into a  _ fight _ ?” Dustin chimes in, staring at Cam in  _ awe _ . “Like, saving little old ladies from bank robbers or something?”

Cam snorts, then swears because  _ ow _ . 

Crap, he’s bleeding again.

Takeout napkins appear in his line of sight as he’s starting to panic about covering the floors of Ninja Ops in blood,  _ again _ . He stares at them dumbly for a moment, and instead Hunter presses them gently against his nose. Cam eventually recovers enough to take the napkins from Hunter with a quiet  _ thanks _ , pressing and hoping the steady stream stops soon because he’s working his way up to a killer headache and all he wants to do is take some pain meds and crawl into bed, forget about the day altogether.

“I didn’t get into a fight, Dustin.” His voice comes out rather nasally around the napkins. “But I am going to bed. It’s been a long day.”

There’s immediate protests but he quells them with a pointed look, then shuffles off, back to his original plan of forgetting the day even happened. 

He stops by their infirmary first- something he’d installed as a precaution when he’d built Ninja Ops, but they’ve had to use far too often as of late. The pain meds go down easy and the bleeding seems to have stopped again so he tosses the napkins in the trash and grabs a disposable ice pack, cracking it and pressing it gently to his face.

He can literally feel his nose throbbing in time with his pulse. 

“Hey,” Hunter appears in the doorway. Cam manages a weary nod trying to decide if the others had elected him to be the one to come check up on Cam, or if he’d come of his own volition. 

“I really am going to ice my face and go to bed,” he slips by Hunter, ignores, as he always does, the heat coming off of him, of the solid feel of his chest when he brushes by. “You guys don’t need to check up on me.”

He heads down the short hallway to his room, unsurprised when Hunter follows after him, catching up until they’re walking side by side. He follows Cam in, heads right to his bed and perches there as Cam tries to balance the ice pack and getting that one sticky drawer open so he can get a fresh t shirt to sleep in. 

“We can’t be worried?” Hunter asks, terse in a way Cam has come to recognize as him literally having to force the words out. He glances at Hunter, the tense set of his shoulders, his hands in tight balls on his thighs- whoever said  _ Cam _ was emotionally stunted would have loved to have met Hunter. 

“It’s nothing,” Cam manages to wrench the drawer open and grabs the first t-shirt he comes across. “With the amulet I’ll be healed up in no time.”

He hesitates, glances at Hunter again but it doesn’t look like he’s leaving any time soon and Cam  _ really _ wants out of what could be construed as a blood soaked shirt. He tosses the ice pack on the bed and turns around, facing the wall as he shrugs out of his ruined shirt. Blushing makes his face throb harder. When the material brushes against his nose hurts like hell. He can’t imagine what it would be like if he didn’t have these ancient powers to heal him faster.

He gets the fresh shirt on, tossing the ruined one in the corner to deal with later. When he turns around Hunter is there, standing with the ice pack held out for him, and his expression is as open as Cam’s ever seen it, taking his breath away at the want and concern that he can see there.

Cam takes the ice pack from him, feeling unsteady and Hunter’s hand comes up, cool to the touch, to trace lightly along his jaw, up his cheek, to just outside of the worst of the bruising. His touch is so tentative, so delicate, and Cam’s eyes flutter shut at it.

“Did someone do this to you?” And there’s the familiar anger, the familiar me against the world attitude that was missing. Cam uses it to center himself and thinks  _ might as well _ .

“A door did.” He opens his eyes to meet Hunters disbelieving gaze. “I was in a hurry and didn’t see the kid coming the other way, so I reached for the door right as the six year old slammed into it and got a door to the face.”

Hunters lips twitch. Cam’s face must be flaming.

“If you tell the others I will kill you.” He promises and uses the ice pack to cover the worst of his blush. 

“Your secret’s safe with me.” Hunter promises.

Cam realizes abruptly that they’re just standing there, staring at one another. Hunter reaches for his free hand, tangling their fingers together tentatively. Cam squeezes, holds on and tries to think of anything to say that can move them forwards. The moment feels like it’s suspended in time, could go either way. 

“You could stay the night,” he blurts out and Hunter’s eyes widen but he doesn’t let go of Cam’s hand. “I mean, it’s late. I’m guessing Blake left with the others and,”

“Cam,” Hunter cuts him off gently. Cam’s mouth snaps shut. “I’d like that.”

Smiling hurts too he realizes and oh, he  _ aches _ to be able to press forwards and feel Hunter’s smile pressed against his own. But he also knows a terrible idea when he sees it. 

Maybe after the pain meds kick in. 


End file.
